So Domestic

Yesterday was yet another lazy Saturday. In an attempt to do something at least slightly productive, I decided to work on my laundry, once I saw that the laundry room/sinks and clothing lines were free. Unfortunately, this did not occur until around 3 in the afternoon, such that I didn’t actually finish my mound of laundry until 4. I spent the remainder of the afternoon reading and praying that my clothes would dry before I went to bed and/or it decided to rain (we have had brief but fairly intense rainstorms the past three of four evenings). Around 9PM I gave up waiting. My clothes were still pretty damp, but even though the sky was clear, I wasn’t willing to leave my clothes out all night. I moved everything inside (I’m sure Jackie was thrilled to have my skirts, shorts, tanks and underwear adorning every corner of our room). At around midnight, I was glad to have done so, as I awoke to lightning, thunder and a downpour of rain.

In addition to the thunderstorm, I was also not-so pleasantly awoken by a ra-ra band making its way through the town. I followed its progression to the south, as it made its way toward our guesthouse, past the front road, down to some undetermined stopping point and then back. While I was tempted to learn more about this sudden parade (it definitely sounded like a marching band, trailed by what I could only assume, based on the noise level, was a minimum of a million people all in a partying spirit). Music was blaring, people were yelling and singing, horns were honking. Incredulous, I dug out my flashlight to determine the exact time… 2:38 AM. And that was only round one; I am not sure what time the band looped around and passed by again. I learned today at lunch that this ra-ra band event (which, the way it was explained to me, is almost like a Haitian battle of the bands, with different groups performing in the streets... apparently in the wee hours of the morning) will happen every Saturday and Sunday evening/morning during Lent… which basically means I will be here for every single one. Lucky me.